United Soccer Coaches Top-25 NCAA DII Men Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (October 5, 2021) – The Franklin Pierce University men's soccer team has collected the No. 1 ranking in the latest NCAA DII United Soccer Coaches Top-25 Poll for the first time since the opening poll in 2008. The Ravens previously held the No. 2 spot in the last two polls.

"Like most teams, we are focused on taking things one step at a time and using each day as an opportunity to improve," said head coach Ruben Resendes. "This season in particular, there's an extra appreciation for having the opportunity to be back to official competition and so the group is extra motivated and determined to stay true to that process, we will see where that takes us."

The Crimson and Grey posted a 2-0-0 record last week after a 1-0 shutout victory over Le Moyne and a 4-1 win at Assumption. Freshman Braudilio Rodrigues (Lisbon, Portugal) notched the only goal of the match against Le Moyne, while graduate students Aaron Acevedo Artes (Valencia, Spain), Pedro Juan Vicente (Elche, Spain), Antonio Santos Ferreira (Madrid, Spain) and Jonas Cervera Anchel (Chiva, Spain). Cervera Anchel added two more assists on the week, one in each contest and senior Marco Valero (Alicante, Spain) tallied two assists of his own at Assumption.

Junior goalkeeper Kosta Maniatis (Montreal, Quebec) made six saves on seven shots faced between both matches and registered his fifth shutout of the year against Le Moyne.

The Ravens are undefeated on the season, holding a 9-0-0 record, including a 5-0-0 mark in the Northeast-10.

Franklin Pierce will host Saint Anselm on Wednesday, October 6, for a 7 p.m. match at Sodexo Field.